A Rurouni Sickness
by Shiara-dono
Summary: After staying out in the rain, Kenshin gets sick, and doesn't tell anyone. When it gets worse, delerium takes over. KK Complete
1. Chapter 1

_I do not own Rurouni Kenshin. If I did, he'd stop calling Kaoru 'dono.'_

_Note For purposes of this story, just believe that Kaoru's dojo has a stove and that you can run from Aizu to Tokyo in a day._

**A Rurouni Sickness**

_By Shiara-dono_

_Chapter 1_

"A… A… ACHOO!!" The force of the sneeze shook the dojo walls, startling the occupants awake.

Kenshin Himura sighed, his body tired from the sneeze. It had caught him unaware, so he'd had no time to stifle it. He heard the sound of running feet outside his room. _Three… two… one…_

"Kenshin?"

Kenshin smiled as his shoji was slid open. Kaoru Kamiya stood there, eyes worried. "Yes, Kaoru-dono?"

Kaoru flushed slightly, realizing the red headed Rurouni was still in bed. "Um, I… I… I heard you sneeze." _Who didn't?_ "Are you okay?"

"Yes, Kaoru-dono, I am. However, I think someone must be talking about me, that they must." He paused and smiled again. "I will be out to make Kaoru-dono's breakfast in a moment."

Worry was replaced with irritation. "I could make my own breakfast, you know."

"No, no! I insist. I like making your breakfast, that I do."

Kaoru blushed, shook her head, and hastily backed out of the room.

Kenshin sighed again, angry at himself for lying to Kaoru. He knew the sneeze was in fact him being sick. It had started the previous night with a tightness in his chest. Now he had the sniffles, and sneezes, apparently. _That's what I get for going out in the rain, and not drying off soon after._ He pushed himself out of bed, groaning as his body protested.

As he started breakfast, his mind reminded him of Kaoru's worried eyes. He winced. The last thing he wanted was for Kaoru to worry about him. She had too many other things to worry about, without adding him to the mix. So, he decided to hide his being sick from her. He would sneak out later to see the doctor, when Kaoru went to teach at a neighboring dojo.

Yahiko looked from Kaoru to Kenshin and back while they ate breakfast. Kaoru was obviously worried, and Kenshin appeared paler than usual. He narrowed his eyes. _What's wrong with Kenshin?_

Kenshin saw Yahiko looking at him and smiled. "Something the matter, Yahiko?"

Yahiko shook his head, wondering if he was just imagining it. Kenshin seemed alright, after all. He hurriedly finished his meal and stood up. "I'm off to go see Tsub… I mean, I'm going to go help out at the Akabeko. I'll be back after lunch." He dashed off.

Kaoru hid a grin behind her hand. "He's really taken a liking to Tsubame-chan."

"It seems so, that it does."

Kaoru helped Kenshin clear the dishes away, watching him out of the corner of her eye. "Are you feeling okay, Kenshin?"

Kenshin bit back a groan and plastered a smile on his face. He turned toward her, unaware his eyes were now fever bright. "Kaoru-dono worries too much. Lunch will be ready when you return, and should anyone come with a challenge, I will clean up the damage, that I will."

Kaoru blushed furiously and hastily stammered her good-bye. Of course Kenshin would be alright. He was a grown man, after all. His only drawbacks were thinking himself unworthy, and being extremely dense.

Kenshin sighed, slowly walking to the clinic. It was harder to hide his sickness from Kaoru and Yahiko than he'd thought it would be. And it was getting worse. His head was warm and pounding, and yet, he was chilled. He shivered, despite the summer heat.

Upon arriving at the clinic, he made an unfortunate discovery. Megumi was still in Aizu, that much he had known. But Dr. Gensai was called away on an emergency and wouldn't be back until the next day at the earliest. Kenshin had to deal with this illness on his own. He hoped it would burn out soon.

By the time he returned to the dojo, lunch needed to be fixed. Kaoru would be home before too long and would definitely be hungry. He turned the fire on and closed his eyes against the sudden flare of pain in his head. Working automatically, he pulled out the things he needed to prepare lunch, not realizing he was setting them too close to the fire. He opened his eyes to find the room spinning. The pain in his head increased, and with a pain filled 'oro,' he toppled backward, unconscious.

Kaoru walked tiredly down the street to her dojo, dragging her bag of equipment along the ground. Her pupils had been rather rough with her today, so she was looking forward to a quiet lunch with just her and Kenshin. Her mind reminded her of Kenshin's earlier paleness and over bright eyes. She frowned, hoping he was alright.

A shadow darkened the sun. Kaoru looked up and gasped. Her dojo was on fire! She dropped her equipment and shed her outer layer of clothing, dashing to the well. She drew up a bucket, pouring the cold water over her body. The she filled two more and rushed inside. Smoke made her cough as she made her way to the kitchen, where the flames seemed to be coming from. "Kenshin?" She called, voice raspy from even the little bit of smoke she'd already inhaled.

The flames were everywhere in the kitchen, dancing higher than her head. She made her way over to the stove, and turned it off, killing the source of the fire. He foot touched something on the ground, and she bent down, trying to see through the thick blackness. "Kenshin!!" She screeched. She fell to her knees and checked that he was still breathing. Luckily, he was. She dragged him out of the fire's most obvious path, and then returned her attention to the fire. She knew if she thought about Kenshin now, the dojo would burn to the ground. Again and again she ran outside, filling buckets full of water from the well. After what seemed like hours, but was probably only minutes, she got the fire out. She collapsed next to the well, coughing and hacking, barely able to draw up another bucket. She managed, though, and drank some of it to try to stop her coughing. Kaoru dragged herself to her equipment, glad she always carried a first- aid kit with her. Picking the half- full bucket of water up on the way, she walked back in to the dojo. Tears filled her eyes as she knelt next to Kenshin's unconscious form and began treating his wounds.

Kenshin awoke to something tugging on his hand. He struggled to open his eyes, and drew in a gaspy breath. A young woman sat next to him, gently holding his hand. Worry was written all over her face, and there were tear trails on her soot- covered cheeks. Her hair was steaming, the ends of it and her clothes singed. She said something, but her voice didn't reach him.

She was a vision of ethereal beauty to him, and he wanted to do something, anything, to erase her worry. He reached up with his other hand to touch her face, looking at it in disgust when he realized it was bandaged. He opened his mouth to speak, but great, hacking coughs erupted from him.

The girl moved, dipping a cup into a bucket of water. She carefully helped him drink some water. When his coughing subsided, he tried talking again. Nothing. No sound emitted from his mouth. It was as if his vocal chords were paralyzed.

The worry on her face increased, and Kenshin's heart ached at the thought of being the cause of her worry. Wanting somehow to show this vision that he was alright, he did the only thing he could think of. He reached up with both bandaged hands and gently pulled her down, kissing her tenderly.

Quite suddenly, he was aware of a pounding behind his eyes. He tried one last time to say something before he lost consciousness. His voice, barely a whisper, was very hoarse. "You are… beautiful."

Kaoru blushed, touching her hand to her lips. Kenshin had just kissed her. And said she was beautiful. Tears cascaded down her face as she looked at the sleeping rurouni, worry quickly resurfacing. Kenshin was breathing hard and sweating, his normally cheerful face very pale. She realized with a start that his eyes had still been over bright. Hesitantly, she pressed a hand to his forehead, yanking it back almost immediately.

He had a fever. A very high one, if she was any judge. The idiot had tried to hide it, not wanting to worry her, she realized. She sighed, suppressing her anger as she stood and dragged the rurouni to his room. She grabbed a towel, dipped it in the cold water, and set it on Kenshin's forehead. Then she went to try and clean up her ruined kitchen.

_Yay!! I'm back! Not bad for a first chapter. So, tell me what you think about it. Anyway, next chapter some familiar faces show up and what does delirium do to Kenshin? Stay tuned to find out! Ja ne!_


	2. Chapter 2

_I do not own Rurouni Kenshin. If I did, he'd stop calling Kaoru 'dono.'_

_Note For purposes of this story, just believe that Kaoru's dojo has a stove and that you can run from Aizu to Tokyo in a day._

**A Rurouni Sickness**

_By Shiara-dono_

_Chapter 2_

Not too long later, voices sounded at the dojo gates. Kaoru walked outside and was greeted by the chief of police and some of his men. "We saw the smoke and came to make sure you and Mr. Himura are okay."

Kaoru assured them that they were, explaining that luckily only the kitchen was burned. Yahiko appeared at that time, and she sent him to the clinic to fetch Dr. Gensai. At the police chief's unspoken question, she said that Kenshin was sick. This got eyebrows raised, but no one commented. She politely declined their offer to help clean, saying she had it under control. They finally left and Kaoru got back to cleaning the kitchen, after checking on Kenshin again. She sighed, as Yahiko came in the dojo without the doctor. "Not there?"

Yahiko shook his head.

Kaoru's eyes began to water again. She quickly turned away from her student, not noticing when he left, and went back to cleaning. After a little while, she heard a sound behind her. She turned, expecting Kenshin or Yahiko. It wasn't either of them. She looked at the newcomer in stunned silence.

"Well, Jou-chan, what happened here?" Sanosuke asked, leaning against the ruined kitchen doorway. "Were you trying to cook again?"

"Sanosuke!" Kaoru cried happily. "I thought you were in China."

Sanosuke shrugged. "I was. I came back to see how everyone's doing." He gave her a quizzical look.

Kaoru blushed darkly. "This isn't my doing! It… it's Kenshin's."

"Kenshin?!"

Kaoru nodded, standing up and attempting to brush soot from her clothes. She walked past him and he followed. She went to Kenshin's room, opened the shoji, and walked inside. "He's sick. I guess he must have passed out." She whispered, bending down to wipe the sweat from Kenshin's face. She noted sadly that his fever hadn't gone down. If anything, it was higher.

"Didn't you send for Fox?" Sanosuke asked, keeping his voice low as he knelt next to her to watch Kenshin.

"No, Megumi's in Aizu now, remember? And I sent Yahiko to get Dr. Gensai, but... he's not there." Her voice cracked.

"You're really worried about him."

Kaoru gave him a scathing look. "He's never gotten sick like this. And it's bad, really bad."

Kenshin coughed violently, gasping for air. He cracked open lead- heavy eyes. Through the haze, he could see the young woman from earlier. Only this time, there was a young man with her. He looked vaguely familiar. They had been whispering to one another, but were now looking at him, worry evident in their eyes.

"Kenshin?" The woman asked. Her voice, scratchy from the smoke, sounded like it was very far away.

_Kenshin? Is that my name?_ He closed his eyes again.

Kaoru's hands shook as she took the towel from Kenshin's forehead. She walked outside, pulling a fresh bucket of water from the well, and dipping the towel into it. "I... I don't know what to do." She commented, knowing Sanosuke had walked out behind her. "I should have asked Megumi to teach me what she knew."

Sanosuke pulled her awkwardly into an embrace. "Jou-chan, you can't blame yourself. Kenshin wouldn't want that. And Fox would have laughed, and made fun of you for asking."

Kaoru took a deep breath, brushing away her tears. "I know." She sniffed. "Thanks, Sanosuke. I'll give you some money so that you and Yahiko can eat at the Akabeko."

It was the only time Sanosuke had ever refused a meal. He faced her, genuinely startled. "But, Jou-chan! You need to eat too!"

"I'm not really hungry right now."

Sanosuke sighed. "Fine, but we'll bring you back some food."

Kaoru awoke later that night, feeling suddenly uneasy. She could hear Sanosuke's snores from the other room. For a moment she wondered why she couldn't hear Yahiko, then remembered the note he left about having to go somewhere for a day. She sat up and looked toward the door to her room. She gasped. Her shoji was open and Kenshin was standing there, leaning heavily against the doorframe.

His voice, hardly a whisper, cracked and broke when he spoke. "You are real, then? Not a dream?" He stepped forward, swaying, and stumbled to his knees.

Kaoru flew off her futon, kneeling beside Kenshin. "Kenshin!"

"Is that my name?"

"Oro? Uh, I mean, what?" _Ugh, I'm starting to talk like him._

"Is that my name?" He repeated.

"Of course it is, Kenshin! Did... did you forget?"

Kenshin nodded, then groaned when the pounding in his head got worse. "Who was the man with you earlier?"

Now Kaoru was really worried. "That was Sanosuke. He came back from China to visit us." She paused. "Kenshin? What is my name?"

Kenshin looked at her blankly, then closed his eyes, missing the hurt that flitted across Kaoru's face. "I... I don't know. Do I know you?"

Tears spilled down Kaoru's face. "Kaoru. I'm Kaoru Kamiya. This is my dojo, and you've been living with me a few years now."

Kenshin brushed his hand against Kaoru's face, wiping away her tears. "Please don't cry, Kaoru. I'm sorry I've forgotten such a beautiful girl. Would it help if I told you my heart is pounding, that it tells me I love you?"

Kaoru blushed, but inwardly sighed. She decided it must be his fever talking. Gently, she put a hand to his forehead. Yup, still hot and feverish.

"My being sick worries you?"

"You didn't tell me." She replied angrily. "If I hadn't come home when I did, you could have... you could have died!"

Kenshin suppressed a cough. "So, it's self- blame? Kaoru, I probably didn't want you to worry." He looked at his bandaged hands. "If anything, I am to blame."

"You are. Baka."

"O-?!" The cough caught him off guard. He collapsed against her, coughing violent, rattling coughs.

"Kenshin? Kenshin!!"

Sanosuke came flying into the room. "What is it, Jou-chan?"

"Get some water, quick!"

As Sanosuke scrambled to follow her order, she looked at Kenshin. He was soaked with sweat. She brushed Kenshin's wet hair out of his eyes. Great shivers ran through Kenshin's body, and his breath came in shallow wheezes.

Sanosuke came back in, carrying a cup of water, and carefully helped Kaoru pour it down Kenshin's throat.

"There's got to be something at the clinic we can use, even without Dr. Gensai. Sanosuke, will you carry Kenshin?"

"We're going to break into the clinic?" Sanosuke asked in disbelief.

"Do you have a better idea?!" Kaoru asked hotly. "Kenshin might… Kenshin might die if we wait!"

Sanosuke sighed. "Okay, Jou-chan." He carefully picked Kenshin up.

"S… Sa… no…" Kenshin said weakly.

"Don't worry, Kenshin. Me and Jou-chan'll get you well again."

They had almost reached the clinic when Kenshin spoke. His voice was still cracking from the smoke, but it was stronger, darker. "You'll put me down if you know what's good for you."

"Not happening, man. You're too sick to walk."

"You imbecile. I am Hitokiri Battousai, and I demand you put me down!"

"His illness must be confusing him." Kaoru spoke up.

Sanosuke nodded. "Kenshin, get a grip. You haven't been a hitokiri for more than twelve years now."

"I haven't?"

"Nope. Not since the Meji era started."

Kenshin fell silent after that. Kaoru crept into the clinic first. "Hello? Dr. Gensai? Is anyone here?" Silence greeted her. She quickly found some oil- filled lamps and lit them. "Okay, Sanosuke. Bring Kenshin in here." They set Kenshin on one of the futons. His eyes were open and he watched them, amber eyes amused, as they began ransacking the clinic. Kaoru found a list of common illnesses and scrolled through them. She glanced at Kenshin as he started coughing again.

"Sanosuke, I think Kenshin has this illness. P…p… damn! Its name is in another language!"

Sanosuke glanced over her shoulder at the paper. "Jou-chan, the kanji's right there." He pointed.

Kaoru glared at him. "I knew that!" She read the word again. "P… pneu…mo…ni…a. Pneumonia? Anyway, it has a high fever, coughing, pain, a hard time breathing, hallucinations, and…" She gasped.

"And?" Sanosuke asked, leaning over again.

"It… it says if left untreated, death is… death is…"

"We won't let that happen, Jou-chan. What's it say for cure?"

"Tea for the cough, um, plus some other ingredients, and there's a list of other things for the fever and other stuff." She handed him the list.

Sanosuke nodded. "Alright, I'll find these things and make the tea. We don't want you to poison him." He ducked out of the room before she could throw anything at him.

Kaoru's hand was already halfway to throwing a nearby chair when he left. She sighed, and opted for growling angry curses instead, turning to an amused Kenshin. "Something funny?" She demanded.

Kenshin shook his head, and tried to hide the fact that he was shivering.

Kaoru noticed and grabbed a blanket off the shelf. She tucked it around Kenshin, his wary eyes watching her. "You need to rest." She told him quietly.

"Who are you that you would care so much to try and save a hitokiri?"

Kaoru sighed. "We've been over this more than once, Kenshin. You were a hitokiri in the past, but that doesn't matter to me. It's not who you are now."

"I don't fully agree with what you're saying. I don't know you, so how can I have been with you all this time as you say?" When Kaoru opened her mouth to protest, he continued. "Still, you are intriguing." He gave her a small smile, leaned forward, and kissed her, thoroughly shocking Kaoru.

"Jeez, Jou-chan, I know you love Kenshin. But could you wait until after he's well before kissing him? Or did you want to get sick, too?"

They broke apart. "Sa… Sa… Sanosuke!!" Kaoru stuttered, red faced.

Kenshin chuckled. "Actually, I kissed her."

"You did? Oh." Sanosuke paused. "Anyway, the tea is done, and I mixed the medicine."

"Thanks, Sanosuke." Kaoru took the tea and medicine from his hands, pouring a cup for Kenshin.

Kenshin hesitated for a moment, not sure if these two were poisoning him. But one look at the girl's face convinced him otherwise. Still, he grimaced as he forced himself to swallow. He glared at Sanosuke with reproach. "It's bitter."

Sanosuke shrugged. "Fox's recipe, not mine. You have to drink a whole cup of it every four hours. Oh, and take that medicine with water once a day for the next five days."

Kenshin grimaced again, but he gulped down the rest of the tea and took the medicine he was offered. Within minutes, he felt himself getting sleepy.

"Sleep." Kaoru told him firmly. "We'll be here when you wake."

Kenshin tried to protest even as he sank into darkness.

A few hours later, Kenshin began to cough up the stuff that was coking his lungs. Kaoru gave him some more tea, and he slept again. She sat against the wall, watching him, one hand resting in his long hair. Then, with a sigh, she closed her eyes as well.

Some time in the early morning, Kenshin awoke and edged himself closer to Kaoru. He curled up against her, and fell into a deeper, healing sleep.

_Yay, chapter two's up! Thank you to everyone who read chapter one, and thank you for the reviews! In the next chapter, where did Yahiko run off to and will Kenshin regain his memories? It will be the last chapter, because there's no good place to put a break. Ja ne!_


	3. Chapter 3

_I do not own Rurouni Kenshin. If I did, he'd stop calling Kaoru 'dono.'_

_Note For purposes of this story, just believe that Kaoru's dojo has a stove and that you can run from Aizu to Tokyo in a day._

**A Rurouni Sickness**

_By Shiara-dono_

_Chapter 3_

Midday rolled around and light filtered into the clinic, falling on the sleeping couple and the man asleep in the adjoining room. Two people entered the clinic. One was a spiky- haired kid. The other was a woman. Both were out of breath.

The woman recovered first. "Oh, ho ho ho! So, this is what you do when I leave!"

Kaoru opened her eyes, looking at the woman in surprise. "Megumi-san? Why are you here?"

"Well, Tanuki, I hear Ken-san is sick. Although, he seems to be quite happy where he is."

Kaoru blushed, but told the female doctor what had happened. "I think his fever is going down." She paused. "How'd you know to come?"

"Yahiko showed up at my clinic in Aizu. I knew something was wrong."

"Yahiko?"

Yahiko nodded. "I knew Megumi-san would be able to help Kenshin, so I ran to get her."

Megumi knelt next to Kenshin and did a short examination. "Not bad, Tanuki. It looks like he does have pneumonia. But by following what that paper said, you've started him toward recovery. Although frankly, I surprised you didn't poison him."

"That's because she didn't make the medicine. I did." Sanosuke walked into the room. "Hello, Fox. How've you been?"

"Well. And you, Rooster-head? How's your hand?"

"Still attached. So, will Kenshin live?"

"Yes, thanks to your fast actions." She opened her medicine box. "I'm going to supply another medicine along with the one you're giving Ken-san. It will help with the pain. And I'll give you a salve for the burns on his hands. Also, he needs to drink some broth so that he doesn't get dehydrated. When was the last time he had some of that tea?"

Kaoru blushed with shame. "I… I fell asleep. He needs it now."

"No need to get embarrassed, Tanuki. We don't want you sick from lack of sleep, after all." She quickly made some more tea, slipping some painkiller into it. "Ken-san, you need to wake up." She shook him gently, rousing him from his comfortable position against Kaoru.

Kenshin glared at her, amber eyes wary. "Who are you?" He asked, suppressing a coughing fit.

"I'm a doctor. Drink this and then you can sleep again."

He sighed, looking at Kaoru. She gave him a slight nod, so he drank it, falling back asleep almost immediately. They gently laid him on a futon so Kaoru could get up.

"Megumi-san, will he get his memory back?"

Megumi was silent for a moment. "If his brain wasn't damaged too badly by his high fever, then he should get it back, yes. But there have been cases…" She shook her head. "Let's get your injuries treated, Tanuki."

"My-??" Kaoru began.

"Baka, Tanuki. Didn't you notice you're burned too?"

"I… I am?" She looked down at her arms. "Oh."

Megumi doctored her swiftly, wrapping bandages around Kaoru's arms to protect the burns from bacteria. Then she gave Kaoru a stern look. "You'll be alright if I leave?"

"You're leaving already?"

Megumi nodded. "I didn't give any notice that I was leaving, so it's probably crazy at the clinic. You can send for me if you need me."

"I see." Kaoru looked down sadly, then plastered a smile on her face. "Thank you, Megumi-san."

"Not at all. Eat something, Tanuki. You need to stay well for him."

"I'm heading out too." Sanosuke spoke up. "I'm going to accompany Fox back to Aizu before returning to China."

"You as well?"

"Yeah. Don't want the cops to catch me, after all. See you Jou-chan, Yahiko. Tell Kenshin I said bye." Then they were gone, almost as if they had never been there.

"Yahiko?" Kaoru asked wearily.

Yahiko nodded. "I'll eat at the Akabeko, and bring you and Kenshin something to eat."

"Thanks."

A while later, Kaoru sat by herself in the clinic, watching over Kenshin. Yahiko had brought her some food, and then returned to the Akabeko to help out. Dr. Gensai had come back, and after briefly examining Kenshin himself, he was in the other room, resting. Kaoru unwrapped the bandages on Kenshin's hands, gently working salve onto the burns. She got up to find some more bandages to wrap around his hands.

"Kaoru… dono?"

Kaoru jumped. She spun around, looking into Kenshin's tired, but no longer feverish, amethyst eyes. "Oh, Kenshin! How are you feeling?"

"Better than I was. My fever broke, that it did." He noticed the tears in her eyes. "Kaoru-dono? What's wrong?"

Kaoru gently hugged him, surprising him and causing him to blush. "You're yourself again, Kenshin. I'm so glad. I was so afraid you would forget me permanently."

"F… forget? Oro?? That's impossible!!"

"The fever was making you delirious and affecting your mind. Anyway, here. Tae-san made you some broth."

Kenshin smiled weakly. "Kaoru-dono, I don't think my stomach can handle anything right now."

"Megumi-san's orders. She doesn't want you to get dehydrated."

"O… oro?! Megumi-dono was here?"

Kaoru nodded. "Yahiko went and got her. And Sanosuke carried you to the clinic for me."

"Sano, too? …where are they now?"

"They left already. Sanosuke didn't want the cops to catch him, and Megumi-san had patients waiting for her."

Kenshin sighed. "So, I didn't even get to see them."

"You did. You even told Sanosuke you were Hitokiri Battousai, and demanded he put you down."

That got a laugh out of Kenshin. Then his expression turned serious. "I am sorry to have worried you, Kaoru-dono, that I am."

"Baka. You worried me more by not telling me you were sick." She handed him the cup of broth. "Now, drink this before I force it down your throat."

Kenshin grinned and slowly sipped the broth. "Did I do anything else while I was delirious?"

Kaoru blushed, remembering the feel of Kenshin's lips on hers. "Right now, just rest. We can talk more later."

Kenshin nodded, knowing he'd already overdone it. "Thanks, Kaoru-dono."

_Okay, I lied. It would have been too long of a chapter if I ended it there, so I'm splitting it. The next chapter will be the last chapter. So, stay tuned for the conclusion! Ja ne! _


	4. Chapter 4

_I do not own Rurouni Kenshin. If I did, he'd stop calling Kaoru 'dono.'_

_Note: For purposes of this story, just believe that Kaoru's dojo has a stove and that you can run from Aizu to Tokyo in a day._

**A Rurouni Sickness**

_By Shiara-dono_

_Chapter 4_

A week passed quickly, and Kenshin was growing irritated. Once home, Kaoru had barely looked at him, or blushed profusely if she did. But she refused to tell him why, and it bothered him. He was better now, though still a bit shaky, but enough was enough. He finally told Kaoru one night that he was going to bed early, and disappeared down the hall. Then he crept into her room, sat against the wall, and waited.

Kaoru came in not too long later, muttering to herself. "Kenshin went to bed early. I hope he's alright." She started to undress to get ready for bed.

"Kaoru." Kenshin called softly.

Kaoru jumped, startled, and spun around, her eyes locking onto Kenshin's. "Ke… Ke… Kenshin! What are you doing in my room?!"

Kenshin stood, wincing as his body protested. "I needed to talk to you."

Kaoru's face instantly flamed. "A… about… what?"

"Well, that. I want to know why you blush every time you see me."

"I, uh… don't know what you're talking about." She said, averting her eyes.

Kenshin gently placed his fingers under her chin and turned her back to face him. "That you do, Kaoru-dono. Please tell me."

Kaoru looked into his questioning amethyst eyes and sighed. "To be honest, I don't know why I'm getting so worked up over it. I know it was just the fever talking."

"What was?"

"W… well, you… th… that is… um…" She took a deep breath. "You told me you love me. And… and you kissed me. Twice."

Kenshin suddenly found it very hard to breathe. He dropped his hands to his sides and looked at the floor. He could feel his face growing blisteringly hot. "W… well… I…"

Kaoru just stood quietly, watching him.

After a minute, Kenshin chuckled. "W… well, that's not how I… planned to tell you, indeed it isn't."

Kaoru stared, wondering if she'd heard that right. "It's okay. I… I know you were delirious. I mean, you even forgot who I was."

Kenshin raised his head. "Yeah. Am I am truly sorry about that, Kaoru-dono, that I am. But delirious or not, I… I still love you."

A new blush spread across Kaoru's face, and her mouth fell open. "You can't mean that." She whispered.

"But I do, Kaoru-dono. I do mean it." He blushed a deeper color and gulped. "W… w… would you… al… allow me to… to kiss you, Kaoru?" He stammered.

"Oh." She began. "Sh… sure."

Kenshin stepped the half a foot closer, using his fingers to angle her face up. He watched as Kaoru's eyelids fluttered closed, and the butterflies in his stomach began a frenzied whirlwind. He blew out a long breath of air. "I… I can't do this!" He cried, turning away from her.

Kaoru opened her eyes. "Kenshin?" When he didn't respond, she put a hand on his shoulder, surprised to find him shaking. "Kenshin, what's wrong? Why are you so scared?"

"Tomoe." He whispered, almost too quietly for her to hear. "I killed her. I don't want that to happen to you."

"Kenshin, I… that wasn't your fault! She chose to protect you, and you know that!"

"But, Kaoru-dono, I already almost lost you once!"

"Again, not your-"

"No, it is! Enishi would never have targeted you if not for me!" A deep, shuddering breath ran through him.

Kaoru groaned. "Okay, fine, it's your fault. So what? Did you forget that I ran after you when you left? That I want you around? Just kiss me, Kenshin. We can deal with the repercussions later."

Kenshin slowly turned to face her. His eyes glistened with unshed tears.

Kaoru closed her eyes and waited. It was difficult. She wanted badly to kiss him again, but knew he needed to make the move. So, she waited.

Kenshin gulped as he looked at Kaoru. When it came to her, it was difficult to know what was right anymore. He debated for a few moments, before deciding to give in.

Kaoru had almost given up hope, when she felt Kenshin's lips touch hers in a gentle, hesitant kiss. She sighed happily against his mouth.

Quite suddenly, Kenshin found he wanted more. One of his arms snaked around Kaoru's waist and pulled her closer. The other entwined itself in the hair just above her neck. He pressed against her, savagely assaulting her mouth.

Kaoru gasped as Kenshin forced his tongue past her lips, deepening the kiss even further. She hadn't known he could be so rough. She was beginning to feel a lack of air, but it was obvious to her that Kenshin wasn't going to let up. She tried fighting him, but it only made him kiss her harder.

She was to the point of passing out from lack of oxygen when he pulled away, panting. Kaoru collapsed in his arms, gasping for air.

"Ka… Kaoru?" He asked worriedly.

"Kenshin… baka!" She wheezed. "I'm not… going anywhere. So, you can… take it slow… you know."

Kenshin turned red with shame. "Sorry, Kaoru."

He looked so dejected that Kaoru couldn't help laughing. She leaned up and quickly kissed him again. "Baka." She told him, smiling. "Now, let's get the bandages on your burns changed."

Kenshin returned the smile, warmth flooding his heart. "Okay… Kaoru."

_Owari_

_Yatta! I'm done! Not a bad story, all things considered. I'm a sucker for happy endings. Thank you all for reading the story, and for the reviews. Ja ne!_


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